Clutch driven plate



Sept 23, l941- w. s. WOLFRAM 2,256,698

CLUTCH DRIVEN PLATE Filed April 15, 1940 "vis . 'Patented Sept. 23, 1'941 UNITED VSTATES PATENTv OFFICE CLUTCH DRIVEN PLATE William S. Wolfram, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a

corporation of Delaware Application April 15, 1940, Serial No. 329,676 3 Claims. v(Cl. 192-107) This invention relates to releasable clutches such as are used on motor vehicles between the engine and the change speed transmission.

An object of the invention is'to improve the driven member of such a clutch.

A further object is to improve that part of the driven clutch disk which is to be gripped between the engine flywheel and the conventional pres-v sure plate, which plate is mounted to rotate jointly with the flywheel and to reciprocate towardthe 10 iiywheel in the act of clutch engagement.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the description which follows.

On the drawing:

' Figure 1 shows a transverse section through a l5 clutch embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a view in elevation, partlybroken away, of the driven disk.

Figure 3 is a section on li'rie 3-3 of Figure 2.

v Figure 4 is a sectional/detail corresponding to 20 Figure 3 but showing the parts displaced.-

Figure 5 is a section on .line 5-5 of Figure 2, the clutch being disengaged.

Figure 6 is a view like Figure 5 but showing the clutch engaged.

Referring to the several figures the engine shaft 1 is shown carrying a flywheel 9 enclosed by a housing ll. A cover-and spring abutment 4is marked I3. One of the clutch engaging springs is seen atgi 5. Numeral l'l isone. of the levers 30 used to release the clutch in the usual way.

Clockwise rotation of the lever as shown in Figure 1 1inoves the pressure plate away from the ilyw eel. i

The driven shaft is marked 2l. It carries non- 35 rotatably a driven disk comprising a hub 23 and an' intermediate portion designated as a whole\ by numeral 25. Torque cushioning may be provided between the hub 23 and part 25 by springs 21. The thirdv and outer part of the driven disk 40 assembly includes a plurality of segmental spring plates distributed in a circular series and secured by rivets 3i to the outer marginal part oi plate 25.- .These segments. are normally dat or substantially so. Each has a pluralityof radial 45 slots distributed uniformly to form a plurality of sectors marked a, b, c and d. Annular friction faces are secured to the opposed surfaces of the r relative to each ridge.

segments.v Each facing has ridges 33 and valleys 35. Brieiiy described, that part a of one' facing in theregion opposite one end sector (a) of each segment has a ridge at' a radially intermediate 5 region in contact with and secured to that sector.

Outwardly and inwardly from said ridge are valleys. That part c of this same facing opposite sector c is similarly lprovidedwith a ridge and valleys. At the second and fourth sectors b and d, a radially intermediate valley is present between inner and outer unattached ridges. T'he other facing. is similarly provided with alternating single and double ridges, the single ridge part of one facing being opposite the double ridge part of the other. Attaching rivets 31 are secured along a circumferential line and secure the intermediate ridges to the segments. By this construction and by reference to Figures 3 and 5, it will bie seen that the segments are normally iiat but are distorted to the form shown by Figures '4 and 6 when the pressure plate is advanced to clutch engaging position. The distortion from the flat condition offers a resistance to theengagement of the clutch and prevents grabbing.V

I claim: a

1. In a clutch, a driven plate having a radially divided resilient outer ring, facings on opposite sides of said ring, said iacings having ridges and valleys on their adjacent faces whereby the ring their adjace tf faces, the ridges corresponding-to adjacent se tors being radially staggered, Whereby spaced valleys are formed and distributed both radially and circumferentially, the valleys of one facing being opposite the ridges of the other.

wnmAM s. woman.- 

